CHAPTER TWO
It had been a long, long six months for Amy.
Six months of devouring the books she'd bought in Diagon Alley (she's pretty much memorised entire passages of 'A History of Magic'), staring at the wand nestled in it's box and teaching Oreo how to do tricks. Six months of counting the days. Six months of waiting.
And telling her brothers that she was a witch.
At first, they'd been a little scared of her, not really wanting to be around her, and that had made her more upset than if they had taunted her. Then, after a couple of weeks of frostiness and wondering if she was going to turn them into frogs, they started to tease her after Nick found her at 2am hiding under the covers, reading her spell books by torch and they realised that she hadn't changed a bit. Now that it had been six months, they were kind of jealous of her being able to go away and learn how to do magic.
But today - today was 1st September.
She hadn't slept a wink. She watched as her clock clicked over from 31st August to the date she'd circled 4 times on her calendar, the date she'd been religiously counting down to. The excitement was so much that every time she closed her eyes she'd just squeal and open them again, so she settled for reading her books, even though she could recite them verbatim.
By 4am, she'd packed and unpacked her trunk three times, despite the fact she'd been packed since last week.
By 5am, she'd given up entirely and headed down to the kitchen, where both her parents were already nursing coffee.
"Can't sleep, mija?" her mother asked softly, placing a cup of tea in front of her. Amy nodded.
"I'm just too excited," she whispered, taking a sip of tea. Her leg wouldn't stop bouncing under the table and Victor laughed.
"I can see that," he said, putting his hand on her leg in an attempt to keep it from jiggling; Amy giggled, and tried her hardest to sit still. It felt like every nerve in her body was tingling, and she just wanted to be on that damn train already.
They sat for a while discussing other matters, and Amy helped her dad with the crossword, reminding them all of Amy's birthday morning; only there was no knock at the door, no world shattering news. In fact, Amy's stomach growling at about 7am was what broke their comfortable morning.
"Right, my darling," Camila said, rising from her seat and heading towards the stove. "Since it's your last morning with us until Christmas, you can choose breakfast."
Amy felt a pang of sadness she hadn't felt so far. She would certainly miss her family so much, even her brothers, but even through the sadness she knew this was the right thing for her. "Eggs," she said with a smile. Eggs were Camila's specialty, and she kissed her daughter's forehead as she got her butter and eggs out ready on the counter.
"Are you packed?" Victor asked, fussing even though he knew Amy had packed everything last week.
Amy nodded. "Just my books. Mum says I shouldn't wear my robes to travel in."
"Yes," Victor nodded in agreement. "You don't want to attract unwanted attention. I'm sure there will be somewhere you can change on the train."
The eggs were slid in front of Amy, and she devoured them at speed. As soon as she was done, she raced upstairs to shower and get ready.
Soon she was running back down the stairs, dressed modestly for the Autumn weather in jeans and a jumper, her uniform pressed neatly in her trunk. She dragged her trunk behind it, it clanged off each stair as she made her way down.
"You ready?" Victor said, and Amy nodded eagerly as she ran back up the stairs, returning with Oreo in his cage. Victor took her trunk to put it into the boot of the car.
"Clothes? Books? Wand? Uniform? Ticket?" Camila fussed, running her hand over Amy's hair.
"Check, check, check, check, and check!" Amy cheered, flourishing her ticket at her mother. At Camila's satisfied nod, she slid the ticket safely into the small side bag she was taking with her, that had her 'Hogwarts, A History' book (second favourite to 'A History of Magic') stashed inside for reading on the train.
"Come on then squirt, let's get you away!" her brother Nick yelled from behind as David jumped on her back and ruffled her hair.
"Shotgun!" their oldest brother Tony screamed, before Camila told him calmly if anyone was riding shotgun, it would her.
Trying to get all eight Santiago siblings into the car was a challenge, but eventually they managed to get them all in and they were on their way to King's Cross.
Soon enough they were disembarking from the car at 10:30am, Victor pushing Amy's trunk and Amy carrying Oreo in his cage as they made their way hurriedly to Platform Nine and Three Quarters.
As Holt had told them, there was a blank brick wall in the middle between Platforms Nine and Ten.
"Just walk through the wall, indeed," Victor said, feeling foolish. He took a deep breath, and he could feel Amy doing the same on his right hand side.
Together, the family strode up to the wall, almost breaking into a trot as they approached the wall. Amy held her breath as they were inches away from the wall, expecting impact; but instead, they went through, coming out the other side to a very busy platform.
A gleaming red steam train was waiting at the platform, billowing steam around. There was hundreds of people on the platform, a mixture of children of all ages milling around; the hooting of owls in cages and the meowing of cats; yells of 'your wand!' as children forgot their belongings; the hollers of friends reunited after a long summer apart.
Amy was relieved to see almost all were not wearing their uniform.
She boarded the train and found an empty compartment; Victor helped her load it in and then they walked back out so Amy could say a proper goodbye.
"Mija," Camila breathes, wrapping Amy in a massive hug which she returns with enthusiasm. "I know that this is the best thing for you but my heart hurts seeing you leave."
"I know, Mama," Amy said, slightly muffled as she spoke into the crook of her mother's neck. "I'm gonna miss you all so much."
"If you ever want to come home, all you have to do is say the word and we'll come get you," Victor said, getting his own hug from Amy.
She pulled back, wiping tears from her face. "I know. My 'Hogwarts, A History' book says that we can use Hogwarts owls to send letters home - I'll write every week, I promise."
"Send us a souvenir," Tony chimed from behind her parents, as the rest of her brothers nodded. Amy hugged each of them in turn before they had a massive group hug, nearly swallowing Amy whole. Only the whistle of the train conductor broke them apart, and Amy climbed aboard the train.
"Love you all so much! Miss you already!" she called, running to her compartment so she could wave as the train departed. And, as Holt had said, the minute the clock struck 11am the doors closed by themselves and the train started pulling away. Amy kept waving until her parents had vanished from view.
She allowed a couple of tears to fall before she brushed them away and pulled out 'Hogwarts, a History' and started from the beginning.
About an hour into the train ride, a small, round faced girl with blonde hair entered the compartment and waved at Amy.
"Do you mind if I sit here? My sisters' friends just took over our compartment."
"Sure," Amy said, putting her bookmark in her book and placing it down beside her. "I'm Amy."
"Kylie, Kylie Baker," the girl said, sticking out her hand. Amy shook it with a grin. "How awesome is it to finally be going to Hogwarts?!"
"So awesome!" Amy gushed. "Although, I've only known about the wizarding world for six months so it's only been six months of waiting."
"Oh, are you muggle-born?" Kylie said, eyes wide. "That's so cool! Both my parents are wizards, I hardly know any muggles. I've always wondered - what's a tel-e-fone?"
Amy laughed as she explained the function of a telephone, whilst Kylie countered by giving her an in-depth review of the Floo Network.
They passed the remaining hours like this, discussing Muggle v Wizarding worlds and explaining some of the more obscure items to each other. They bought snacks from the trolley, and tears rolled down Kylie's face as Amy got the fright of her life when her chocolate frog leapt from the box. They bonded over the weird flavours of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans, and then it was Amy's turn to hold her sides in laughter as Kylie bit enthusiastically into an earwax flavoured bean and spat it out over the compartment.
A knock at the door broke the girls out of their laughter. It was an older girl, with soft blonde girls and wearing robes with a blue trim and a shiny badge gleaming on her chest. "It's time to changed, nearly there!" she called, before moving onto the next compartment. Amy could hear her repeating the statement there, too.
The girls couldn't stop grinning at each other as they quickly changed into their uniforms. Amy shrugged on her black robes, fingering the Hogwarts crest that lay there, waiting for her house to be revealed. She'd read all about the houses in 'Hogwarts, A History'.
"What house are you hoping to be in?" Amy asked Kylie once they were both changed. She could feel the train slowing; they were approaching.
"Gryffindor," Kylie said without hesitation. "My two sisters are both in Gryffindor. What about you?"
"Probably Ravenclaw. I do love my books," Amy grinned, but deep inside she was torn between wanting to stay with her new friend and just being thankful she was going.
The train slowed to a stop and the girls departed the train - "Don't worry, they'll take our trunks up for us Amy, just leave them" - and stood on the platform.
"First years over here! Follow me!" a massive giant loomed over them, although he had a friendly face and a warm smile beneath a beard that was probably as big as Amy herself. He raised a giant hand and pointed right towards the lake.
Amy followed the crowd of smaller children making their way over to where the giant was pointing, and further down the crowd Amy made out the dark haired boy she'd met in Madam Malkin's robe shop.
"First years, gather 'round," the giant boomed, and Amy kept close to Kylie. "My name is Hagrid, and I'm the grounds keeper and keeper of keys at Hogwarts. It's my job to get you to the castle in time for the sorting ceremony. 4 to a boat!"
In front of her, on the lake, sat hundreds of small boats. Kylie grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her towards one. They just got settled and were quietly squealing about being literally minutes from being sorted when two boys clambered into the back of their boat. Amy turned around to see who it was and came face-to-face with the brown haired boy she'd seen getting robes.
"Hey!" Amy said, smiling.
"Oh, hi!" the boy's grin was just as big as when she'd seen him getting robes. "Funny running into you again! I didn't introduce myself last time. Poor manners. My name's Charles."
"Amy," she replied, shaking his outstretched hand. "This is Kylie. What's up with your friend?"
Charles' friend was hunched over the side of the boat, nearly tipping the boat into the lake.
"Get up dude, you're gonna make us fall in! I refused to get sorted soaking wet!"
The other boy sat up. "Sorry, I was checking for merpeople. Gina swore there are merpeople in the lake."
"Did you see any?!"
"Yes, that's why I've shouted it from the rooftops. I'm Jake," he said to Amy and Kylie, with a roll of his eyes towards Charles. The girls repeated their names back with a small wave. The boats gave a jolt and glided off over the water, despite the fact no-one was steering or rowing. Magic is so cool.
The rest of the boat ride passed without much incident, with Jake and Kylie bartering back and forth with 'facts' about Hogwarts, with the other strenuously denying the fact was true. Amy just sat quietly, taking it all in, whilst Charles was beaming at Jake and occasionally standing up for his friend.
Eventually Jake and Kylie's fact bickering faded into background noise as the boats rounded a corner and the castle came into view. And no, 'Hogwarts, A History' had not done the castle justice. In the dying light it was lit up, it's turrets extending high into the sky. It was majestic, and a little intimidating. Amy couldn't believe she'd call this place home for the next seven years.
She felt a nudge on her arm and turned to see Kylie, grinning widely. She beamed back, seeing that Charles and Jake were doing the same thing.
"This is so awesome!" Kylie exploded next to her, and Amy laughed aloud. The boats docked somewhere under the castle, and they followed Hagrid up a lane towards the castle. Amy could feel her whole body vibrating with excitement as they walked into a large foyer. Professor Holt was waiting for them at the top of a set of grand stairs, wearing the same deep purple robes he was wearing when he had come to visit Amy on her birthday. As he held up a hand, the excited babble that had followed the first years since leaving the boats immediately dissipated.
"Good evening, first-years," he said, his voice as emotionless but intimidating as always. "Welcome to Hogwarts. In a few moments you will proceed through to the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony. Please wait until your name is called before you come forward. Once you have been sorted, please proceed promptly to your house table." He turned away for a second, then turned back to the group. "We're ready."
Amy grinned at Kylie as they ascended the stairs. The Great Hall was like nothing she'd ever seen, with four long vertical wooden tables taking up almost the entireity of the hall. A long wooden one stood horiztontally, with adults seated; Amy imagined this must be the teacher's table. The room was lit with hundreds of candles that floated above their heads, as if dangling on fishing wire; the ceiling was a dark navy, clear but glittering with stars.
"Did you know the ceiling is charmed to look like the sky outside?" Kylie whispered to her, and Amy smiled back.
"I did! I read about it in 'Hogwarts, A History'," she whispered back, noticing the crowd had stopped. In front of them, on some steps, sat a worn hat on a stool. The Sorting Hat, her mind supplied, having read about it in the same chapter as the ceiling.
Professor Holt stood behind the stool, holding a large scroll. "When I call your name, come forward and I will place the sorting hat on your head. We will proceed in alphabetical order by surname. Annalise Anderson."
A taller, red headed girl broke free from the pack and on shaky legs walked forward and sat on the stool. Holt placed the hat on her head and for a couple of seconds Amy could see Annalise nodding, as if the hat was talking to her.
"Ravenclaw!" the hat called, and the table on the far left cheered loudly as Annalise walked off in that direction.
"Kylie Baker," Holt called, and Amy grabbed and squeezed Kylie's hand tightly as she walked through the crowd. The hat took barely any time before it shouted 'Gryffindor!' and Amy cheered as Kylie - with a look of pure relief on her face - nearly ran towards the table decked in red and gold.
"Charles Boyle," Holt called next, and Charles walked forward. He was also placed in Gryffindor, and walked towards the table looking a mixture between elated and faint.
After a while, the names became a little bit of a blur. She tried to keep track of the names, but there was so many her mind kept wandering. 'Rosa Diaz' went to Gryffindor, whilst 'Emma Hunter' went to Ravenclaw, alongside 'Sidney Brown'. 'Jennifer Gildenhorn' went to Slytherin, alongside 'Gina Linetti' and 'Harry McArthur'. 'Terrence Jeffords' went to Hufflepuff with 'Fiona Kirk' and 'Casey Cook.
"Jacob Peralta," Holt called, and Amy saw the boy she had shared a boat with alongside Charles swagger up to the stool. The hat barely touched his head before it yelled ''Gryffindor!' and Jacob - Jake? He had introduced himself with a nickname - fist punched the air and strolled over to sit beside Charles.
Amy realised it would soon be her turn. Her palms started to sweat, as she barely heard 'Sophia Perez' go to Ravenclaw, or 'Sharon Roland' go to Hufflepuff. It felt like her ears had been stuffed with cotton wool.
"Amy Santiago."
She took a deep breath and willed her feet to start moving. Was she walking really slow? Or too fast? She couldn't tell, it was like being underwater, everything was distorted and weird and she couldn't hear or think or breathe -
Then the stool was in front of her. She shook as she sat, and felt the hat sink onto her head.
"Miss Santiago," a voice hissed in her ear. "I can hear your thoughts. You're nervous."
"Yes," she thought.
"Never fear, I will take good care of you. I see two halves of you, Miss Santiago. You are smart, yes? Very witty. Very conscious. Excelling in academia. But there is also a spark to you, a bravery. I would encourage this bravery, Miss Santiago. It will make you who you are destined to become."
"Really?" Amy thought, a little perplexed. There are many words she would use to describe herself, but brave wouldn't have been one of them.
"Really," the hat said. "Gryffindor!" it shouted to the hall, and the applause came up. Amy opened her eyes and saw Kylie on her feet, clapping ferociously.
Amy ran over beside Kylie and hugged her, they sat down, both beaming. 'Madison Taylor' went to Slytherin, whilst 'Theodore Wells' went to Ravenclaw. Finally, 'Kyle Young' went to Hufflepuff and the Sorting was finished.
Holt vanished the scroll, and took his place at the table. An older man stood, wearing robes of emerald green. "First years, welcome. My name is Professor McGintley, and I am Headmaster. If you work hard, trust your friends and ask many questions, you will flourish here at Hogwarts. Now - let's eat!"
Amy looked at the bare tables, but Kylie was smirking out of the corner of her eye. A split-second later, every surface of the table was suddenly filled with golden plates, piled high with every type of food imaginable. Amy felt her mouth watering at the sight - it felt like it had been a long time since those Bertie Bott's beans back on the train.
As she reached for some potatoes, she heard the conversation with the people next to her turn to bloodline.
"I'm a pureblood, but my dad is a total butthead. Raised by my Momma," Jake said around a mouthful of hamburger, and Amy's stomach turned a little at the sight of half-eaten beef.
"I'm half-blood. Mum's a muggle, Dad's a wizard. Nasty shock for her when she found out!" Charles laughed around a piece of carrot. "So I was primarily raised by my Dad and his family. We travelled all over the world together!"
"Pureblood," Kylie said, shrugging a shoulder. "But my new friend Amy is a muggle-born, and she told me what a tel-e-fone is, so I'm pretty much, like, at one with the muggles now."
Jake sprayed hamburger over the table.
"Gross!" Amy said, turning her nose up, and at that Kylie burst out laughing, which set Charles off, who was laughing whilst banging a hamburger-choking Jake on the back, and eventually Amy couldn't help but let out a giggle. And for the first time, she felt like she had friends.